In recent years, multimedia devices, such as gaming consoles, have become very popular with consumers. Many of the experiences on these devices center around understanding how to complete tasks, make progress or build skills in specific pieces of content or applications on the device. Additionally, the interaction of users who play these games has begun to transcend the specific content/application and in fact now goes beyond the device itself. Thus, when users want to get together to discuss what they are currently doing in a game, leave information for others on how they completed something, or find information on how a user completed something in the past, there has been no specific way to do this.
Generally, individuals do this by creating their own taxonomy for a game and at best, organize bulletin boards and online forums for the exchange of information on the web. Additionally, most game hints are shared this way on the web or through the publication (online and offline) of a book that instructs users what they can do to get through certain experiences. The problem with these approaches is that it is not immediately contextually relevant to a user's experience in their current game. The user must leave the multimedia experience and search out the information or other social contacts on their own with no direct tie to the experience they are currently in. Very often the information is not timely, well organized, and definitely does not provide the user with an integrated experience.
Another option is for the multimedia application or game to create its own specific help in game. This can meet the need of users currently executing the specific media application or game. However, users outside the game can not take part in the community or display this information. It is strictly an in media/game experience and does not leverage the contextual information pre-defined about the game so that it can be integrated into other social, purchase, or information scenarios outside the game.
As these experiences continue to get more complex inside the content and applications running on these multimedia devices, there will be more pressure to integrate these social and informative networks directly into the experience.